Coronavirus: 34 of 37 in isolation wards in Maharashtra discharged

Thirty-four of the 37 people admitted in isolation wards in Maharashtra hospitals for suspected exposure to the novel coronavirus have been discharged after their samples tested negative for the infection, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Monday.

The samples of these 37 people were sent for testing at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.

In a release issued on Monday, the state health department said currently two people were in an isolation ward in Pune's Naidu Hospital and one in Sangli district hospital.

It said 23,350 people have been screened at the Mumbai International Airport since January 18, including 166 who arrived in the state from areas affected by the new strain of coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which has wreaked havoc in China.

"Of the 37 persons admitted in isolation facilities in the state on suspicion of coronavirus infection, 34 have been discharged. Last evening (Sunday), a person was admitted to the Naidu Hospital due to minor cold and cough," Tope said.

As per information shared by the state health department, all people coming from China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the 2019-nCoV outbreak, have been isolated and tested for the virus as per Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare guidelines.

Those coming from affected areas are being monitored for a period of 14 days from arrival, and 72 of these 166 have completed the two-week follow-up, the state government release said.

Minister Tope asked people to contact state control room number 020-26127394 or toll free number 104 in case they had queries on the 2019-nCoV.

The death toll in China's coronavirus outbreak has gone up to 908 with 97 new fatalities reported mostly in the worst-affected Hubei province, Chinese health officials said on Monday.

The confirmed cases of the infection have crossed 40,000, they said.

The 2019-nCoV outbreak in China has put tremendous pressure on medical infrastructure across the world, including India which so far has three reported cases of the infection, all in the southern state of Kerala.

The coronavirus is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndromes, but the virus that has killed people in China is a novel strain and not seen before.

Common symptoms of the novel coronavirus strain include respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the WHO.